


The Botanical Garden of Emon

by alphabetray



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Fluff, Gilmore POV, M/M, Vaxil'more sorta date, episode 14, just fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-09-13 01:49:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16883328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alphabetray/pseuds/alphabetray
Summary: It's been a little while since Gilmore has seen Vox Machina, and he's keen to spend some time with his favourite rogue. Thankfully, he knows just the place to go to avoid being disturbed.Aka Vax and Gilmore go to the botanical gardens and I haven't watched this episode in a while so I'm basically just doing my own thing but it's loosely cute.





	The Botanical Garden of Emon

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WhatsSheCalled](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhatsSheCalled/gifts).



Winter was slowly coming down on Westruun. Shaun Gilmore wasn’t an old man, would consider himself right in the prime of his life were anyone to ask, but each winter seemed to settle into him more bitterly and the summers seemed to pass him buy in mere moments. He knew he was being a tad on the dramatic side, the weather in Emon was still relatively temperate but the skeleton of a shop slowly taking shape felt soulless in a way that his other business never had. He had always taken an active role in the keeping of his shop, from the days when Gilmore’s Glorious Goods had been a collection of minor potions and trinkets with mild illusions ascribed to them to the current, well, glory that he had achieved. Taking time away from the storefront felt strange, to say the least, and he flattered himself in thinking that people came as much for him as for his creations.

It was still morning, he’d arrived a few hours ago and had immediately been submerged by a series of very important meetings on the structure of the basement – apparently including a panic room was unconventional but he’d managed to talk them around – and after his tea break he would be in the back room enchanting weapons and armour for any adventurer looking for something a touch more exciting. It’d been a while since he’d seen his token heroes, they’d scattered around the continent and last he’d heard they were headed to Kraghammer. His thoughts turned in a more pleasant direction for a moment and he smiled for a moment, feeling younger already, before sipping the herbal blend Sherri had given him. There would be time for that – for him – later, for now there were matters of business to turn his mind to.

The new building was taking shape nicely, a crowd of workmen from in and around Westruun performing just to his specifications. He’d begun stocking up on inventory too, he had old friends in the area who were more than happy to help him out with brewing potions and he’d made a few more exotic items to induce people in.

“Sir!”

He turned to see one of the lads running over to him with a piece of paper. “Please, my dear boy. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, call me Shaun. What can I do for you?”

“This is for you, sir,” he said, handing him the sheet before running back off.

Shaun read through it, one immaculate eyebrow raising before he half walked half ran back into his shop and to his teleportation circle.

“Jared,” he said, turning to the foreman. “I’ll be gone for, oh, most of the afternoon probably. See you tomorrow?”

“I – what – Gilmore?”

He didn’t hang around to hear more, the arcane energies claiming him and pulling him with them. It had been far too long since he’d seen Vax’il – Vox Machina. After all, they were as much an investment as the new store what with being members of the council and all. He’d seen them through that, stood by them and sold them all the magical goods their empty pockets could pay for.

The backroom was just as he’d left it that morning, Sherri’s voice ringing out from the other side of the beaded curtain. He took a second to pat down his hair, smooth his robes and then, with an expression of as much jovial warmth as he could muster, he swept out into the shop. Vax’ildan looked up immediately and smiled at him, warmth curling up into his eyes.

“Gilmore!” came the cry from Keyleth and Vex’ahlia and he laughed.

“Vox Machina! Back from Kraghammer, I take it? I hope all was well.” He touched Sherri’s back as thanks as he swept around the counter to hug them all. If the embrace between him and Vax’ildan was a tad tighter and went on a little longer, well, that was between the two of them.

“Yes! We were just perusing your inventory. You know, as our sponsor it does really seem to me that we should get a discount. You know. For spreading the good word?” Vex’ahlia said, giving one of her trademark winks.

Vax rolled his eyes at her. “Give the man a break, Stubby. You know, Gilmore, want to get out of here? It’d be great to catch up.”

Whether he would one day be able to resist that earnest smile was unclear, but it was certainly well beyond him to refuse. “Why, of course.”

He offered Vax his arm and the other man took it. He glanced at Sherri and she sighed audibly but motioned at him to go, and he and Vax left the shop to the sound of Vex turning her attentions towards his long suffering assistant.

“So, Vax’ildan. Any idea of a destination or are we just going to walk for a while?” he asked, smiling at him warmly.

“Well, you know, you know Emon a lot better than I do. I definitely trust you to think of somewhere cool. We could get food or I don’t know.”

“Ah, you overestimate me. How do the botanical gardens sound?” He could feel himself begin to thrum with the return to their old give and take routine, like a well practiced dance that only worked when the two of them were moving to its beat.

“I have missed you, my dear Vax’ildan. How was Kraghammer? Did you sing my praises to every dwarf you met?” he asked with a soft laugh.

Vax grinned. “I’m not entirely sure they liked us all that much but we had a go.”

“I find that very hard to believe. You are all certainly charming when trying to bring the prices down on the fruits of my labour.” He steered them into the Cloudtop district. “You’ve certainly made a good impression around these parts.”

“And that’s the only reason I came back. Ego needs the boost,” Vax laughed. “I haven’t been to the botanical gardens before.”

“Well, you are in for a treat. There’s a restaurant just next door with a vintage to die for, if you’d like to share a glass.”

“I’d love that,” Vax said with something a little softer on his tone.

They walked for a while in silence, passing by large homes and a few of the more fashionable retailers of the city. Shaun rarely had occasion to come into this area of the city, his shop and home were all located near the main market, but Vax probably came up here quite a lot, being part of the council and all. It was impressive, seeing them go from a rag tag bunch of adventurers just arrived from Westruun with no money and nothing to lose to these heroes with the ear of the Sovereign. His own adventuring days had ended far more modestly. He’d left Marquet a promising lad with fire in his eyes and arrived in Emon ready to settle down and find stability. Politics was all well and good, but the ground under your feet would never truly be solid. He’d found his happiness in his shop and the family springing up around it. The things he made were remarkable, things he could be proud of and that serviced their users well.

His feet traced the path he had walked enough to not need to direct overly much thought to where he was going and he realised with a start that they were moments away from arriving and he had not said a word for far too long. He wracked his brain for a conversational topic that wouldn’t seem too jarring.

“You know, they import their specimens from all over. Wildemount, Marquet. It is honestly one of the more beautiful parts of the city. They’re always showing their most beautiful side, a rather nifty piece of magic.”

“Huh?” Vax said, jerking out of some reverie of his own. “Right, yeah, the botanical garden. I’ve never spent much time in gardens, they’re more Keyleth’s thing.”

“Well,” said Shaun as he opened the door and gestured for Vax to enter. “You don’t need to be a druid to appreciate the beauties of nature.”

From the sight of Vax’s wide eyes, he was pretty sure that he had made the right call bringing them here. The flowers were all in bloom – thanks to an enchantment he had actually worked on – and the vast greenhouse was covered in a canopy of fire reds and oranges, melting into softer lavenders and purples reminiscent of the sunset. Tall vines grew up to the roof, heavy with rare fruits. He walked just behind Vax as he wandered slowly down the pathways. Every change of shade seemed to catch his eye and he stopped frequently, breathing in the heavy scents that filled the air. His eyes were wide as he reverently avoided brushing against the plants as he moved, touching them with a hesitancy akin to worship.

“I – Gilmore. Thank you. It’s incredible.”

Shaun smiled. “I thought you might like it. Follow me.”

He led Vax to the space he had found for himself while working on the enchantment. A tree whose name he had learned and forgotten formed a comfortable sitting space with its roots, its branches driving off any plant life more delicate than the short grass used to bind the soil together and which smelled of cinnamon, sweet and homely. When he’d been fresh to the city, it had been one of his favourite getaways. Vax sat beside him, leaning his head on his shoulder and looked out at the scene before him.

“We found Lady Kima, by the way. Fought a bunch of duergar, Scanlan killed their king. Grog got mind controlled. My foot got melted off in lava,” he said and Shaun glanced down at him with an expression of shock.

“In a permanent way, or in a more reparable way?” He’d spent enough time with clerics to know that there was very little a strong enough dose of magical healing couldn’t fix, and the remarkable Pike certainly struck him as competent.

Vax nodded. “Yeah, Pike fixed me up. It was pretty fucking stressful, though. Hurt like a motherfucker.”

“How did you even manage to find lava in Kraghammer?” he asked, relaxing again upon hearing that Vax was fine, physically at least.

“We went below the city, down these mines. Met a bunch of Mindflayers, pissed them all off and killed a beholder. We’re headed to Vasselheim to deal with the fallout in a bit but I wanted to say hi.”

“Well, that certainly is very impressive. It’s not every adventuring party who can put a beholder under their belt.”

Vax settled back down. “It all felt pretty end of the world. I’m glad I’m back here, that we’re all back here. It feels a lot safer. I don’t know. I just wish I was staying longer. You’ve got a new shop. That’s a pretty major thing that I completely missed.”

“You’ll be back soon enough.” Acting purely out of instinct, Shaun pressed a gentle kiss to the top of Vax’ildan’s head and the half elf seemed to relax a little. “The new shop is exciting, yes. Expanding into Westruun. It opens Gilmore’s Glorious Goods up to a whole new clientele, though it has certainly been taking long enough to get organised and set up.”

“I missed you. Missed this. You’re one hell of a man, Gilmore. I wish you’d had that set up before, then maybe I could have met you sooner.”

The plants rustled under an intangible breeze as Shaun laughed, feeling lazy in the warmth. Summer had passed him by but here, in this warmth with Vax’ildan leaning against him and smiling slightly, he felt like it had never ended. They would go get the promised wine, would probably share a large glass and make their way back to his shop. No doubt Vex’ahlia would attempt to haggle him out of business while Vax looked at him oh so sweetly to convince him to do whatever would make his sister happy but for now they were together in an impossible summer warmth.

“You know,” said Vax, almost feline in the way he was curling up against Shaun. “It feels like I could almost stay here forever.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> @spookynein on tumblr @alphabetray on twitter, taking prompts yadayadaya also please say in the comments if you see spelling or grammar errors I’m too lazy to properly proofread these


End file.
